The unpredictable seasons! In June we could expect gloomy weather and variable temperatures in the north of the Netherlands, but the sun shone all weekend in Assen. The riders started the Sprint race on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. with track temperatures of 45°C, while on Sunday the Grand Prix took place at 2:p.m. on an even hotter track.
Located in the north of the country, close to the beaches of the North Sea, the Assen circuit is a historic venue for motor sports. Nicknamed the Cathedral of Speed, the Dutch TT began here on public roads in 1925, before the construction of the permanent TT Circuit Assen in 1955. The Motorcycle World Championship has been held here every year since it was created in 1949 (the only exception being 2020 due to the pandemic). It is 4.542 km long, and each lap is made up of 18 corners, with 12 to the right and 6 to the left.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin two-wheel competition manager, explains the tyre choices during the Motul TT Assen 2023: "The evolution of grip on the track surface was the main factor of the weekend. During practice on Friday, the riders complained about the lack of grip on the asphalt and generally preferred SOFT tyres to overcome this situation. On Saturday, in qualifying and during the Sprint race, the lap times improved significantly with the contribution of the new HARD front tyres. At the rear, all riders used the SOFT, which highlighted its consistency over the 13 laps of the Sprint race. On Sunday for the Grand Prix, the grip of the track evolved yet again. Warmed by the sun, the temperature of the asphalt rose sharply and the level of grip deteriorated once again. As a result, the lap times were generally slower than in 2022, and the riders opted for HARD tyres at the front, and SOFT or MEDIUM at the rear depending on the bike and their riding style. Our allocation of MICHELIN Pilot Sport tyres was therefore well suited to the racing conditions and allowed the riders to take to the track with confidence."
The Assen circuit was resurfaced in 2020, which reset Michelin's data history. Therefore, the choice of specifications for the 2023 Assen Grand Prix was made on the basis of information collected last season.
On Saturday, it was Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) who, after taking pole position and setting the new all-time circuit lap record in 1’31.472, won the Sprint race, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
The Grand Prix, contested on Sunday at 2 p.m., was dominated by Francesco Bagnaia who won the race ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing).
Fourth round of the FIM MotoE™ World Championship
The seventh and eighth rounds (out of 16) of the FIM MotoE World Championship took place on Saturday. Raced to the limit on this very fast circuit, the new electric Ducati motorcycles have set new timing benchmarks and have once again proven to be faster than the Moto3™ machines. Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took pole position on Friday with a lap time of 1’40.743 on a 'green' track with poor grip levels, while pole in Moto3, achieved on Saturday on a track at maximum grip levels, was set in a time of 1’41.181, more than 4 tenths slower than Torres’ 100% electric Ducati.
The new MICHELIN Power MotoE range, with a high percentage of sustainable materials of up to 52% in the rear tyres and 34% in the front, once again demonstrated its performance, versatility and consistency during two races full of intense sporting battles.
Both races were won by Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE), followed by pole setter Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team). In the first of the two rounds, Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) completed the podium, while in the second round, Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) took third place.
Following the Motul TT Assen, the FIM MotoGP and MotoE World Championships are taking a long summer break. The Monster Energy British Grand Prix will kick-off the second part of the season at Silverstone on 6 August. In MotoE, the ninth and tenth rounds of the season will take place on Saturday 5 August on the same circuit.
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